Politics - Jason X

[SonicMage117]

I realize people don't like my essays but maybe they'll appreciate that I've respected them enough to take the time to do so

[Leferd]

 

 

Ugh, look, something shiny to look at while we try again to murder people by taking away their healthcare. This is why Trump won - because everyone's looking at the wrong things he's doing.

 

That's a bad take. For one thing, most Americans care far more about sports than healthcare. If anything, we react more from out of apathy when they take away our entertainment.

 

 

So it's a bad take because everyone PREFERS looking at the wrong thing?

 

 

It was a joke.

 

But then again, everything is a distraction for this President. He makes abhorrent statements every day that yes -- maybe it's hard for the ONE BIG THING to stick. But then what is the big thing? Everything is big. He's the President. His statements carry weight.

 

Wanna talk about healthcare? Cool, McCain defected from party line -- presumably joined by Murkowski, Collins, and perhaps Rand Paul.

 

 

Right now, social/racial inequality and its convergence in sports is the current big thing. If anything, this may have a bigger impact on national discussion and political discourse than any topic that most Americans will talk about in breakrooms, barbecues, and church.

[injurai]

The engineers that engineer best engineer least. Hmmm...

 

As far as I'm concerned governance and the human development index are an ongoing collaborative engineering project. Competition and markets are great, but if tax was at a minimal extreme people wouldn't know how the hell to invest of their money to actually promote modernity. National endowments to science have been key, and government contracting is an invaluable aspect of the modern economy. It's more about doing the right things, rather than big/little government. Wherever the levers of society might be, that's where corruption will flock.

[ShadySands]

Healthcare should be a right!

 

If you disagree then why do you hate freedom? ;P

[Orogun01]

 

 

Ugh, look, something shiny to look at while we try again to murder people by taking away their healthcare. This is why Trump won - because everyone's looking at the wrong things he's doing.

 

That's a bad take. For one thing, most Americans care far more about sports than healthcare. If anything, we react more from out of apathy when they take away our entertainment.

 

 

So it's a bad take because everyone PREFERS looking at the wrong thing?

 

Just give up and go from cynic to sociopath. Really; its better, because if you can't save your fellow man from their stupidity you might as well profit from it.

The path to virtue is fraught with hardship and to save humankind you have to make yourself a pariah and a sinner. Better to be apathetic and think that is all beyond your power; someone else will take care of it.

 

At any rate; forget everyone, they want easy answers in a world that offers none and they want someone to do what they should do for themselves.

[Leferd]

Bruce Maxwell becomes first in MLB to take a knee. Mark Canha in support with hand on shoulder.

 

 

*edit. Below is the club's statement of support.

 

Edited September 24, 2017 by Leferd

[Hurlshort]

When this whole knee thing started, I thought it was dumb and Kapepernick needed to focus on becoming a decent player again. After the President's comments, I find myself completely in support of those who take the knee and am fully rooting for them. Strange how that works.

 

 

edit: Because it clearly worked. He made a major impact by taking that knee.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Hurlshot

[HoonDing]

Bending the knee is disrespectful? Used to be you lost your head not bowing to your feudal lord.

[ManifestedISO]

 

edit: Because it clearly worked. He made a major impact by taking that knee.

 

But I thought the protests were against state-level police action. What major impact is a federal constitutional rights debate going to have on city and state police procedures ...

[Gromnir]

When this whole knee thing started, I thought it was dumb and Kapepernick needed to focus on becoming a decent player again. After the President's comments, I find myself completely in support of those who take the knee and am fully rooting for them. Strange how that works.

 

 

edit: Because it clearly worked. He made a major impact by taking that knee.

 

a few observations, a number o' which we know won't be popular.

 

first, kaepernick didn't start by taking a knee. he sat. he sat on the sidelines during the anthem.  during practices he wore socks with pigs wearing police hats.  he spouted a fair bit o' nonsense too during press conferences and alienated Cuban americans and any number o' other groups with ill-considered rhetoric. 

 

second, his protest, which has thankful morphed, were original directed at police violence and the national government's indifference to such violence.  am knowing folks don't like to hear this, but even the notorious RBG observed how kaepernick's protest were kinda ridiculous.  the fed government is specific prohibited from direct control o' police power.  municipalities and counties and states got police forces.  complaining 'bout the federal government's indifference to police violence is largely misguided and ignorant.  however, as we observed, kaepernick's protest did evolve so as to become a more generalized protest o' the racial divide in this country as 'posed to specific 'bout police violence... though now the message is so vague it doesn't have focus.  is no leader neither to speak for the movement. each protester voices slight different reasons for protesting.  kaepernick started the protest, but he ain't a leader (on or off the field) and the protest has never had a clear message or goal. 

 

(gonna take particular heat for this next bit, but we accept.)

 

third, am unconvinced the protest has achieved any tangible benefits.  trump's actions has actual probable done more unintended good for the protest movement than any other single person as folks in numerous sports who may have been on the fence 'bout the message clear has found solidarity in the pushback 'gainst trump's ridiculous appeal for firings. the thing is, before trump's inane comments regarding the protests, what had the protests achieved?  more awareness of... what exactly?  am still not certain o' the actual message o' the protests, but has the protests heightened awareness o' the deep racial divide in this country?  has protests increased awareness regarding acts o' police violence?  was such actual needed? more important, has the protests reduced racial divisions or police violence?  has new legislation been authored in response to kaepernick's protests?  violence directed at police and by police has actual Increased in the past couple years after a steady and consistent decrease for over a decade.  am not blaming on kaepernick and the protesters, but polarization and fear has only become worse since ferguson.   personal we blame obama AND trump for failing to help unify instead o' divide, but we have beaten that horse to death.

 

fourth the protesters are wasting an incredible opportunity.  we went to cal, so am familiar with the folks who protest for the sake of protesting.  hard part is what you do after you got the nation's (or the world's) attention. do nothing?  have a protest and then pat self on the back for your good deed? *snort* protests is a great opportunity for unified athletes to send out a message.  perhaps the message is how low income minorities (and whites for that matter) following the economic downturn has Not actual recovered.  employment rates is up, but not for many segments o' our population.  maybe the protesters is in agreement with shady 'bout universal health care?  then say it.  maybe with the recent awareness o' brain injury studies, nfl players recognize how our health care and welfare systems is complete and utter failing those people with mental illness. perhaps police violence is the evil?  if so, then what is the solution being sought?  less police violence?  fine, but how?  why isn't there a voice 'mongst the protesters articulating what it is for which they protest? the protest is easy.  now do something.  wanna be like jackie robinson or muhammad ali, then step up and honor their memory by making a difference.  kneeling for a minute +16 times a year?  am not impressed.

 

...

 

am not having a problem with folks protesting.  am thinking some good does come from such protests even if the message is unclear or, well, misguided.  kaepernick lack o' a meaningful message is troubling to Gromnir.  the fact kaepernick were initially sporting his pig socks and acting like a jackarse were troubling.  nevertheless, am thinking it is good that highly visible minorities stood up (or knelt) to show how angry they is with the current state o' race relations. if only there was a voice and a message to make the protests meaningful.  instead we have these silly fights over the legitimacy o' the protests but the protesters ain't taking advantage o' the opportunity to make things better.

 

end rant

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited September 24, 2017 by Gromnir

[Leferd]

At this point, I think the anthem protests have morphed into a symbolic catch-all for racial inequality in the Trump-era; and now a protest against Trump and those he is empowering with his actions/non-actions.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Leferd

[Guard Dog]

I think the anthem protests are, and have always been, much ado about nothing. Yes it is disrespectful in a small and petty way. But whatever. If you want to be disrespectful in a small and petty way, more power to you. If it makes you feel like you're sending a message or whatever, kneel away. I never lost a moment of sleep or suffered a second of annoyance because somone knelt during the anthem. The reactions to it have been comical though. People have failed to learn that the fastest way to perpetuate something like this is to make a big deal about it and the fastest way to stop it is to ignore it. As long as kneeling provokes people to go batsht nuts and get the kind of remarks Trump made today they will keep doing it. 

[Volourn]

"Your Giants had a statement too"

 

Considering 'my Giants' have a history of treating player slike crap, that statement is full of poo poo. I should also say that Trump's statement was also full of poo poo. They're all poo poo.

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

"I used to be a businessman, a politician, a human, then I took to harrowing knees."

[Volourn]

"At this point, I think the anthem protests have morphed into a symbolic catch-all for racial inequality in the Trump-era"

 

Trump era? L0L

 

 Rewrting history. But, I forgot everything was perfect before Trump was elected. L0LZ

[injurai]

Clinton era, Bush era, Obama era. This is not new, and all it's doing is specifying a time frame.

[Malcador]

Well, let's be completely realistic here... it's always free-speech until someone gets offended, or at least that that's what people want to believe, where the SJW's come in (annoying people) but, in more serious matters there are certain lines which sane/mature people know shouldn't be crossed... too many cases where people do somethimg like give a verbal death threat and then claim "I didn't actually do it, I'm just using my freedom of speech" It's creepy that anyone would try to justify that juvenile behavior with "freedom of speech".

 

That goes for general public as well as the threats to assassinate the president, of course only to be followed days later with the usual "It was just a joke" or a similar response. There was a time when people had more respect but now everything is excusable or justifyable in the liberals' eyes by some form and as so, still doesn't make them right.

 

Liberals often get angry when I challenge them by asking "One day if you get a girlfriend or get married and have kids, will you let someone threaten the people you love? What if your loved one commits suicide because of it? I cant believe you would be okay with this." And they get very angry because their hypocrisy is then realized and then there's no way to really contest it. It's always okay to dish out that stuff, until the shoes are on the other foot. It's perhaps, something worth thinking about.

 

 

 

How far does one's freedom exclude one from the consequences of one's actions? The answer surely isn't "Well it's my freedom so I do what I want with it" Isn't that the crimminal mindset? What are your thoughts on that?

And you're spun up about people being mean to Trump.

[213374U]

Academic blocked from researching people who reversed their gender assignment surgery speaks out

“The fundamental reason given was that it might cause criticism of the research on social media and criticism of the research would be criticism of the University and they also added it was better not to offend people,” Mr Caspian told Radio 4.

The University told Mr Caspian that “engaging in a potentially politically incorrect piece of research carries a risk to the University”.
 

lol twattercracy

[Malcador]

Sure. But is rich that he complains about SJWs, when he acts the same way. Or his general whining about liberals.

 

Wouldn't be all that shocked to find how wide a net he tosses coverage into to discount it as being mean to Trump. After all, negative reporting is unpatriotic.

 

So why is Venezuela on the list of countries on the travel ban? Seems kind of out of place. I guess NK is as well, doubtful they even have all that many.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Malcador

[Blarghagh]

Facts can't be mean?

[Malcador]

Facts can't be mean?

Only if you divide by n.

[injurai]

So why is Venezuela on the list of countries on the travel ban? Seems kind of out of place. I guess NK is as well, doubtful they even have all that many.

 

World's largest oil reserve, largely untapped. Country nationalized it's entire oil industry which was built on labor of foreign industries and foreign investment. It's now an authoritarian socialist state keen on purging (letting starve) or pushing out as much of it's population as possible to limit how large a population the state needs to support. Famine and riots are rampant. It's a country that large swaths of the population would emigrate to an immigrant country if given the chance due to the current conditions. Something to do with all of that.

[Guard Dog]

Anthony Wiener got 21 months in prison.

[Malcador]

 

So why is Venezuela on the list of countries on the travel ban? Seems kind of out of place. I guess NK is as well, doubtful they even have all that many.

World's largest oil reserve, largely untapped. Country nationalized it's entire oil industry which was built on labor of foreign industries and foreign investment. It's now an authoritarian socialist state keen on purging (letting starve) or pushing out as much of it's population as possible to limit how large a population the state needs to support. Famine and riots are rampant. It's a country that large swaths of the population would emigrate to an immigrant country if given the chance due to the current conditions. Something to do with all of that.

Yeah but was looking at it from a safety (supposedly, anyway) point of view. Should be every poor country on Earth as well by that metric.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Malcador

[Gromnir]

Facts can't be mean?

 

but alternative facts can be.

 

HA! Good Fun!